JP2007333622A - Method for measuring deformation amount of viscoelastic body made of organic material, device therefor, and device for measuring deformation amount of tire - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a deformation amount measurement device for a viscoelastic body made of an organic material, capable of accurately measuring the amount of deformation of a viscoelastic body to be measured, even when the deformation amount is large, and which is superior in durability. <P>SOLUTION: In this deformation amount measurement method, a coil 11 for measuring the amount of deformation of the tread rubber of a tire 20, comprising a viscoelastic body made of organic material, is embedded in rubber constituting a land section 21k of a tire tread 21; a resistor 12 is series connected to the coil 11; an AC voltage is applied to a circuit comprising this coil 11 and the resistor 12, and the voltage V between both ends of the resistor 12 is detected; and based on this detected voltage V and an ε-V conversion table 16T, representing the relation found beforehand between the amount of deformation ε of the tread rubber and the voltage V between both ends of the resistor 12, the deformation amount of the rubber of the land section 21k of the tire tread 21, where the coil 11 is embedded, has been measured. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for measuring a deformation amount of a viscoelastic body made of an organic material such as a rubber member used for a tire tread.

Conventionally, when measuring the amount of deformation of a rotating shaft, a spring member, etc., a strain gauge produced by etching a metal foil provided on a resin film is generally embedded or adhered to a member to be measured. For example, a method for obtaining a deformation amount of the member from a change in electric resistance of a thin metal wire constituting the strain gauge is performed.
Such a strain gauge is also used when measuring the deformation amount of a viscoelastic body made of an organic material such as a tire tread rubber (for example, see Patent Documents 1 and 2).
On the other hand, as a technique for embedding an impedance element in a tire, as shown in FIG. 9, a coil 54 with a switch comprising a coil body 52 and an open / close switch 53 is embedded in the air chamber side of the tire 51 and the open / close switch 53 Is opened and closed in accordance with the air pressure, and a detection coil 56 connected to the AC power supply 55 is disposed in the vicinity of the tire 51 to prevent a change in impedance of the detection coil 56 accompanying the opening and closing of the open / close switch 53. A tire air pressure alarm sensor 50 that detects a decrease in air pressure of the tire 51 is disclosed. Specifically, when the air pressure is high, the tire air pressure warning sensor 50 closes the open / close switch 53 and the switch-equipped coil 54 and the detection coil 56 are coupled to change the impedance of the detection coil 56. Since the open / close switch 53 is open when the air pressure is low, the switch-equipped coil 54 is opened, and the switch-equipped coil 54 and the detection coil 56 are not coupled to reduce the pressure of the tire 51. It detects (for example, refer patent document 3).
JP 2005-343281 A JP 2005-345238 A JP 2005-331361 A

However, when measuring the amount of deformation of a viscoelastic body made of an organic material such as tire tread rubber with a strain gauge, the elastic modulus of the film on which the strain gauge pattern is formed is higher than the elastic modulus of the viscoelastic body. There is a problem that the strain amount (deformation amount) indicated by the strain gauge is smaller than the actual deformation amount of the viscoelastic body.
In addition, since the elastic limit of the metal foil is small compared to viscoelastic bodies such as rubber, especially when measuring the amount of deformation of rubber where repeated compression or tension acts, such as rubber of a tire tread, If the amount of deformation is large, there is a risk of disconnection with a small number of repetitions.
Further, the switch-equipped coil 54 used in the tire air pressure alarm sensor 50 has a storage chamber 57 that is easily deformed by rubber deformation so that the open / close switch 53 can be easily opened and closed by air pressure. However, the coil body 52 is not configured to measure the deformation of the rubber due to the air pressure.

  The present invention has been made in view of the conventional problems, and even when the amount of deformation of the viscoelastic body to be measured is large, the amount of deformation can be accurately measured, and the organic material is excellent in durability. An object of the present invention is to provide a deformation measuring device for a viscoelastic body.

As a result of intensive studies, the present inventors have found that if the metal wire is arranged in a coil shape, the amount of deformation per unit length of the metal wire is small, so that the durability of the element is excellent and the deformation of the viscoelastic body is accompanied. The present inventors have found that if the deformation of the coil is detected as a change in inductance of the coil, the deformation amount of the viscoelastic body made of an organic material can be accurately measured.
That is, the invention described in claim 1 is a method for measuring a deformation amount of a viscoelastic body made of an organic material, and is a coil embedded in a viscoelastic body made of an organic material such as tread rubber, or an organic material. An AC voltage is applied to a coil adhered to the surface of a viscoelastic body made of a material, a change in inductance of the coil is detected, and a deformation amount of the viscoelastic body is measured.

The invention according to claim 2 is an apparatus for measuring a deformation amount of a viscoelastic body made of an organic material, the coil embedded in the viscoelastic body made of an organic material, or the viscoelastic body of the viscoelastic body. A coil affixed to the surface; a resistor connected in series to the coil; an AC power supply for applying an AC voltage to a circuit comprising the resistor and the coil; and means for detecting the voltage across the coil or resistor; Means for measuring the amount of deformation of the viscoelastic body based on the detected voltage, and detecting a change in the inductance of the coil as a change in the voltage across the coil or the resistor. The amount of deformation of the viscoelastic body is measured.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the viscoelastic body deformation amount measuring device made of the organic material according to the second aspect, means for detecting a current flowing through the coil and the resistor is provided in place of the voltage detecting means. In addition, the amount of deformation of the rubber is measured based on the current.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the rubber deformation amount measuring device according to the second or third aspect, instead of the resistor, a capacitor is connected in series to the coil, and the voltage across the coil or the capacitor, or The current flowing through the coil and the capacitor is detected, and the deformation amount of the viscoelastic body is measured based on the voltage or current.

The invention according to claim 5 is an apparatus for measuring a deformation amount of a tire, wherein a coil disposed in or on a rubber member constituting the tire and a resistor connected in series to the coil. Means for applying an alternating voltage to a circuit comprising the resistor and the coil, means for detecting the voltage across the coil or resistor, and means for measuring the amount of deformation of the tire based on the detected voltage It is characterized by comprising.
According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the tire deformation amount measuring device according to the fifth aspect, a capacitor is connected in series to the coil instead of the resistor.

According to the present invention, an AC voltage is applied to a coil embedded in a viscoelastic body made of an organic material such as tire tread rubber, or a coil attached to the surface of the viscoelastic body, and the inductance of the coil Is detected, and the amount of deformation of the viscoelastic body is measured. Therefore, even when the amount of deformation of the viscoelastic body is large, the amount of deformation of the viscoelastic body can be accurately measured. Moreover, since the coil-shaped element was used as an element embedded or stuck in the viscoelastic body, durability can be improved as compared with a conventional metal foil strain gauge.
Further, a coil embedded in a viscoelastic body made of an organic material such as rubber, or a coil attached to the surface of the viscoelastic body, a resistor connected in series to the coil, and the resistance and the coil An organic power supply comprising: an AC power source for applying an AC voltage to the circuit comprising: means for detecting a voltage across the coil or the resistor; and means for measuring a deformation amount of the elastic body based on the detected voltage. A device for measuring the amount of deformation of a viscoelastic body made of a material is manufactured, and a change in inductance of the coil is detected as a change in voltage at both ends of the coil or resistance, and the amount of deformation of the viscoelastic body is detected from the change in voltage. Is measured, the deformation amount of the viscoelastic body can be measured without directly detecting the inductance.

The same effect can be obtained by providing a means for detecting the current flowing through the coil and the resistor in place of the voltage detecting means, and measuring the deformation amount of the viscoelastic body based on the current. be able to.
Further, instead of the resistor, a capacitor is connected in series to the coil, the voltage across the coil or the capacitor, or the current flowing through the coil and the capacitor is detected, and the viscoelastic body is detected based on the voltage or current. The deformation amount may be measured.

Hereinafter, the best mode of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram showing a configuration of a tire deformation amount measuring apparatus 10 according to the best mode. In the figure, 11 is a coil for measuring the amount of deformation of the tire, and this coil 11 is embedded in the rubber constituting the land portion 21k of the tire tread 21 of the tire 20, as shown in FIG. Has been. Reference numeral 12 denotes a resistor connected in series to the coil 11, and reference numeral 13 denotes an AC voltage applied to a circuit in which the coil 11 embedded in the rubber g and the resistor 12 are connected in series as shown in FIG. In this example, the resistor 12 and the drive detector 13 are connected to the inner liner 22 of the tire. The drive detector includes an AC power source 14 for detecting the voltage and a voltage detector 15 for detecting the voltage across the resistor 12. It is arranged on the surface. Reference numeral 16 denotes an ε-V correspondence indicating the relationship between the voltage V across the resistor 12 detected by the voltage detecting means 15 and the previously determined tread rubber deformation amount ε and the voltage V across the resistor 12. The tread rubber measured by the tire deformation measuring means 16 is a tire deformation measuring means for measuring the deformation of the rubber of the land portion 21k of the tire tread 21 in which the coil 11 is embedded, based on Table 16T. The deformation amount data is sent to a vehicle control device (not shown) provided on the vehicle body side.
The ε-V correspondence table 16T and the tire deformation amount measuring means 16 may be provided in the drive detection unit 13, or may be provided on the rim portion 23 or the vehicle body side. When provided on the vehicle body side, a transmitter is provided in the drive detection unit 13 to transmit the data of the voltage V to the vehicle body side. When the rim portion 23 is provided, a transmitter is provided in the drive detection unit 13 and a transmitter / receiver is provided in the tire deformation amount measuring unit 16, and the voltage V data is sent to the tire deformation amount measuring unit 16. The tread rubber deformation amount data obtained by the tire deformation amount measuring means 16 is transmitted to the vehicle body side.

FIG. 3A is a view showing an example of the coil 11, and this coil 11 has a cylindrical core material 11a made of a rubber having the same quality as the tread rubber, and a thin metal wire wound around the surface. Coil body 11b. Since the coil 11 is surrounded by the rubber of the land portion 21k of the tire tread 21, the tire 20 rolls, and the land portion 21k of the tread 21 in which the coil 11 is embedded is grounded to the road surface. When the rubber of the land portion 21k is deformed, the coil 11 is also deformed together with the rubber, and the inductance of the coil 11 is changed.
When the shape of the coil 11 is long in the axial direction as described above, the sensitivity is high in the axial direction, so that the extension direction of the coil 11 is the deformation direction of the tread rubber measured by the coil 11. 11 is preferably arranged. For example, when measuring the deformation of the tread rubber in the load direction, as shown in FIG. 2A, the extending direction of the coil 11 is the tire radial direction. When measuring the amount of deformation in the circumferential direction of the tread rubber, the amount of deformation of the tread rubber can be efficiently measured by setting the extending direction of the coil 11 to the tire circumferential direction.
Since the sensitivity direction of the coil 11 depends on the shape of the coil, for example, when the coil 11 is short in the axial direction as shown in FIG. 3B, the radial direction is more sensitive. The coil shape is arranged so that the extending direction of the coil 11 is orthogonal to the deformation direction of the tread rubber measured by the coil 11. May be set as appropriate.

ここで、αは永岡係数Ｋのε依存性を示す係数で、円柱の形状が、例えば、（２Ｒ／ｌ）≒０．５であれば、α≒−０．２５である。また、β＝２＋αである。
上記式（２）から、インダクタンスの変化ΔＬ＝Ｌ−Ｌ。は歪量εに比例することが分かる。
したがって、コイル１１のインダクタンスの変化を求めれば、コイル１１の変形量、すなわち、コイル１１が埋設されているトレッドゴムの変形量を計測することができる。 By the way, when the coil is not deformed, the inductance (initial inductance) L ₀ of the cylindrical coil is the end when the number of turns per unit length is n, the radius of the cylinder is R, and the length of the cylinder is l. If the effect of the above is ignored, the following equation (1) can be approximated.
L ₀ = Kn ² R ² l (1)
Note that K is a shape-dependent coefficient (Nagaoka coefficient).
When the cylinder of the coil is deformed and its length is changed from l to (1 + ε) l, the inductance L is that the Poisson's ratio of rubber is 0.5, the strain amount ε is small, and there is no volume change. Then, the deformed inductance L is expressed by the following equation (2).

Here, α is a coefficient indicating the ε dependency of the Nagaoka coefficient K, and if the shape of the cylinder is, for example, (2R / l) ≈0.5, α≈−0.25. Further, β = 2 + α.
From the above equation (2), inductance change ΔL = LL. Is proportional to the strain amount ε.
Therefore, if the change in the inductance of the coil 11 is obtained, the deformation amount of the coil 11, that is, the deformation amount of the tread rubber in which the coil 11 is embedded can be measured.

上記式（３）に示すように、抵抗１２の両端の電圧の大きさＶ［Ｖ］は、コイル１１の歪量εに比例する項を有するので、上記電圧Ｖを検出すれば、上記コイル１１が埋設されているゴムの変形量を計測することができる。
本例では、上記歪量εと上記電圧Ｖとの関係を予め求めて、ε−Ｖ対応表１６Ｔとしているので、タイヤ変形量計測手段１６にて、電圧検出手段１５により検出した抵抗１２の両端の電圧の大きさＶと上記ε−Ｖ対応表１６Ｔの歪量εと電圧Ｖとの関係とを比較することにより、上記タイヤ２０の変形量を求めることができる。
なお、コイル１１は一様に伸縮するので局所的な歪が入りにくく、そのため、任意の線幅でも高い耐久性を得ることができる。 In this example, instead of directly determining the change in inductance of the coil 11, as shown in FIG. 2B, the AC power supply 14 is connected to a circuit in which the coil 11 and the resistor 12 are connected in series, and The voltage V across the resistor 12 is detected by the voltage detection means 15. Here, assuming that the power supply voltage of the AC power supply 14 is V _i [V], the frequency is f [Hz], and the resistance value of the resistor 12 is R [Ω], the magnitude of the voltage across the resistor 12 is as follows. V [V] can be expressed by the following equation (3) using the voltage V _i , the frequency f, the resistance value R, and the initial inductance L ₀ and the strain amount ε described above.

As shown in the above equation (3), the magnitude V [V] of the voltage across the resistor 12 has a term proportional to the amount of strain ε of the coil 11, and therefore, if the voltage V is detected, the coil 11. It is possible to measure the amount of deformation of the rubber in which is embedded.
In this example, since the relationship between the strain amount ε and the voltage V is obtained in advance and used as the ε-V correspondence table 16T, both ends of the resistor 12 detected by the voltage detecting unit 15 in the tire deformation amount measuring unit 16 are used. The amount of deformation of the tire 20 can be obtained by comparing the relationship between the voltage magnitude V and the strain ε and the voltage V in the ε-V correspondence table 16T.
In addition, since the coil 11 expands and contracts uniformly, it is difficult for local distortion to occur. Therefore, high durability can be obtained even with an arbitrary line width.

Thus, according to this best mode, the coil 11 for measuring the deformation amount of the tire 20 is embedded in the rubber constituting the land portion 21k of the tire tread 21, and the resistor 12 is connected in series to the coil 11. Then, an AC voltage is applied to the circuit composed of the coil 11 and the resistor 12 to detect the voltage V across the resistor 12, and the detected voltage V and the tread rubber deformation amount ε determined in advance are detected. And the ε-V correspondence table 16T showing the relationship between the voltage V at both ends of the resistor 12 and the deformation amount of the rubber of the land portion 21k of the tire tread 21 in which the coil 11 is embedded is measured. Therefore, even when the amount of deformation of the rubber is large, the amount of deformation of the rubber can be accurately measured.
Moreover, since the said coil 11 has few deformation amounts per unit length of the metal which comprises the said coil 11, compared with the conventional metal foil gauge, durability of the tire deformation amount measuring apparatus 10 can be improved.

In the above-described best mode, the amount of rubber deformation of the tire tread 21 is measured. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the coil 11 of the present invention is embedded or adhered to a rubber member such as an engine mount to reduce the inductance. If the change is detected, the deformation amount of the rubber member can be accurately measured.
In addition, the present invention is generally applicable to viscoelastic bodies made of organic materials, in particular viscoelastic bodies made of polymer materials (elastomers) that exhibit viscoelasticity near room temperature, such as rubber and thermoplastic elastomers.
Further, the shape of the coil is not limited to the cylindrical shape (coil 11) having a circular cross section, and is, for example, a rectangular parallelepiped shape having a rectangular cross section as shown in FIG. It may be a thing (coil 11A). In addition, as the shape of the coil, the cross-sectional shape does not need to be uniform in the axial direction as in the case of the cylindrical coil 11 or the rectangular parallelepiped coil 11A. A cross-sectional shape that is not uniform in the axial direction may be used such that the area is widened and the area of the end that is the lead-out portion of the metal wire is narrowed.
In the above example, the coil 11 has a form in which a thin metal wire serving as the coil body 11b is wound around the surface of the columnar core material 11a. However, as shown in FIG. It is good also as a structure embed | buried directly in the rubber which comprises 21 land part 21k.
Moreover, in the said example, although the coil 11 was embed | buried in the rubber which comprises the land part 21k of the tire tread 21, the installation place of the coil 11 is not restricted to this, For example, as shown in FIG. What is necessary is just to be a location where the installed coil 11 is deformed as the tire tread 21 is deformed, such as in the inner liner 22.

The inductance change of the coil 11 is preferably obtained from the voltage V across the resistor 12 connected in series in terms of the circuit configuration. However, the current flowing through the coil 11 and the resistor 12 may be detected.
In the above example, the resistor 12 is connected in series to the coil 11. However, as shown in FIG. 6A, the capacitor 17 is replaced with the coil 11 embedded in the rubber g instead of the resistor 12. Connected in series, the voltage across the coil 11 or the capacitor 17 or the current flowing through the coil 11 and the capacitor 17 is detected to measure the amount of deformation of the rubber constituting the land portion 21k of the tire tread 21. May be.
Further, as shown in FIG. 6B, not only the coil 11 but also the resistor 12 may be embedded in the rubber g. However, in the case where the voltage V across the resistor 12 is detected, wiring or the like Therefore, it is preferable to embed only the coil 11 as in this example.

Example 1.
A test piece similar to the coil 11 shown in FIG. 3 is produced, and a periodic pressure is applied to the core member, and the results of measuring the time variation of the inductance of the test body are shown in FIG. Here, the test piece has an inductance of 0.3000 mH and a pressure cycle of 1.0 sec. It was. In FIG. 7, the horizontal axis represents time (sec), and the vertical axis represents the displacement (%) of the test piece 30 and the inductance (mH) of the test piece.
As is apparent from FIG. 7, it can be seen that the inductance of the test piece shows the same time change as the displacement (%) of the test piece. Thus, it was confirmed that the deformation amount of the rubber can be accurately measured by detecting the inductance of the coil formed on the rubber surface.

Example 2.
The test piece is deformed with various strains ε, and an AC voltage (V ₁ = 1 V, f = 500 kHz) is applied to a circuit in which a resistor is connected in series with a coil as shown in FIG. The result of measuring the voltage V across the resistor is shown in FIG. As apparent from the graph of FIG. 8, the voltage V has a linear relationship with the strain amount ε of the test piece as shown in the above equation (2). It was confirmed that ε can be measured.

Example 3.
A test tire in which a coil was formed in an inner liner of a test tire was manufactured, and this test tire was mounted on a vehicle, and an actual vehicle running test was performed to inspect whether the coil was broken or not. For comparison, a similar test was performed with a conventional metal foil strain gauge disposed in the inner liner instead of the coil. As a result, the metal foil strain gauge was damaged at a traveling distance of 200 km, but the coil was not damaged even after traveling at 100,000 km. Thereby, it was confirmed that the coil of this invention is excellent in durability.

  As described above, according to the present invention, the deformation amount of a viscoelastic body made of an organic material such as tread rubber can be accurately measured with a simple configuration, and the durability of the detection element can be improved. Therefore, it is possible to provide a viscoelastic displacement measuring apparatus that is inexpensive and excellent in durability.

It is a functional block diagram which shows the structure of the tire deformation amount measuring apparatus concerning the best form of this invention. It is a figure which shows the arrangement | positioning of a coil, and the measuring method of rubber deformation. It is a figure which shows one structural example of the coil by this invention. It is a figure which shows the other shape of the coil which concerns on this invention. It is a figure which shows the example which formed the coil in the inner liner. It is a figure which shows the other example of the measuring method of the tire deformation amount which concerns on this invention. It is a figure which shows the measurement result of the time change of the displacement of a test piece, and an inductance. It is a figure which shows the relationship between the distortion amount (epsilon) of rubber | gum, and the voltage V of the both ends of the resistance connected in series with the coil. It is a figure which shows the structure of the conventional tire pressure warning sensor.

Explanation of symbols

10 tire deformation measuring device, 11 coil, 12 resistance, 13 drive detector,
14 AC power supply, 15 voltage detection means, 16 tire deformation amount measurement means,
16T ε-V correspondence table, 17 capacitors, 20 tires, 21 tire treads,
21k tire tread land, 22 inner liner, 23 rim.

Claims (6)

  An AC voltage is applied to a coil embedded in a viscoelastic body made of an organic material or a coil attached to the surface of a viscoelastic body made of an organic material, and a change in inductance of the coil is detected. A method for measuring a deformation amount of a viscoelastic body made of an organic material, wherein the deformation amount of the elastic body is measured.   An apparatus for measuring a deformation amount of a viscoelastic body made of an organic material, a coil embedded in a viscoelastic body made of an organic material, or a coil attached to the surface of the viscoelastic body, and the coil A resistor connected in series; an AC power source for applying an AC voltage to a circuit comprising the resistor and the coil; means for detecting a voltage across the coil or the resistor; and the viscosity based on the detected voltage. An apparatus for measuring a deformation amount of a viscoelastic body made of an organic material, comprising: means for measuring a deformation amount of the elastic body.   3. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein a means for detecting a current flowing through the coil and the resistor is provided instead of the voltage detecting means, and the deformation amount of the viscoelastic body is measured based on the current. An apparatus for measuring a deformation amount of a viscoelastic body made of the described organic material.   4. The deformation measuring apparatus for a viscoelastic body made of an organic material according to claim 2, wherein a capacitor is connected in series to the coil instead of the resistor.   A coil disposed inside or on the surface of a rubber member constituting the tire; a resistor connected in series to the coil; means for applying an alternating voltage to a circuit comprising the resistor and the coil; and the coil or resistor A tire deformation amount detection apparatus comprising: means for detecting a voltage at both ends of the tire; and means for measuring a deformation amount of the tire based on the detected voltage. 6. The tire deformation amount measuring device according to claim 5, wherein a capacitor is connected in series to the coil instead of the resistor.

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